My husband Fredrick Cato is one of the many of us who suffer from addiction. Because of his criminal background, one mistake he made will put him behind bars for the rest of his life. My family and his are greatly affected and BEG for a fair sentence- not because we feel he should not be punished but because we do not feel he deserves to die in prison.

I am starting a petition for my uncle Ronnie Lauderdale, who was sentenced two life sentences for non violent drug charges. My concern is that he is expected to die in prison and not be able to look outside of prison walls ever again in life. He has a family outside of prison that needs him more than anything. He has served 10 years in prison already. During the arrest there were no guns found in the initial search in Ronnie's presence. There were no interrogation tapes nor videos, or no signed statements, but yet, allegedly he admitted to the crime. Two hours later after he signed a statement to search him the officer mentioned "Oh yeah we found a gun." A gun that he knew nothing about and that should have been mentioned before the statement was signed. His first trial resulted in a hung jury after four days of deliberation. The jury consisted of ten whites and two blacks. After a second trial he was found guilty. During the first trial the sitting judge, Reagan made statements off the record stating no blacks would be on the next trial. As if to state that the only reason why Ronnie Lauderdale's trial ended with a hung jury is because blacks were apart of the jury. This judge recused himself for the second trial. A speedy trial was violated and granted immediate release, which was never done due to without prejudice reasons for speedy trial. After the grand jury indicted Lauderdale, they searched for more evidence by recruiting two jail house informants; one was a convicted bank robber and the other one was a convicted pedophile, who molested a ten year old boy. During the trial, Judge Murphy made a clear statement that the two jail house inmates were the most damaging to Lauderdale's case, whom he never knew or met before the trial. There's so many people committing crimes that's getting off with less time than Lauderdale with no questions asked. For instance, Mary Winkler killed her husband and plead guilty but was out of jail before she was even booked. It's evident that Lauderdale could have been convicted from previous charges that he's already done time for, but ten years for drugs is a lot that he's already served so being sentenced to two life sentences is unethical considering the fact that these charges were only drug related with no violence involved . I don't condone in anyone breaking the law and I think everyone should pay their debt to society, but there's people out here killing others and they will be out of jail sooner than him. It's not fair that his freedom was taken and he's not able to see or be with his family like other people. The only thing that's promised to us is DEATH and to die in jail for a none violent drug charge is probably the lowest thing a person could go through. Statistics say that black males aren't suppose to live outside of their freedom and it's evident that minorities are incarcerated way more often than whites, but the judicial system can make a change by eliminating these long life sentences for none violent drug charges. Help me help my uncle get his freedom back. Help me be the change that the system needs to grant freedom to Ronnie Lauderdale. Just like any other man, his family needs him! Please help us get this case reviewed again. Thank you!

My Grandson, Marty W. McMillan Jr. was set up and murdered, and to date, we don't have closure or his remains. He went to meet a girl he met on PlentyOfFish, and he never returned. We reported this to the police on April 22, 2017, and they would not file his case until they said for three days. We tried to explain to them that he would not contact any family members for days in at a time. He did not report to work, and to his PO officer, not talk to any of his friends, and not answer his phone that was not his behavior. His father had to cry to them after going to the precinct to check to see if they had heard anything. They had not assigned his case at all to any detective. That day they decided to appoint a detective that day. They came to my house to ask me questions. I told them how he went to work that day, that was a Saturday, and we thought he was over his father house, and his father thought he was over my house. He had not been to either that was on a Thursday morning. So he had been missing since that Saturday, and neither of us knew. I told them he had not talked or text his mother and he texted her every day. They got information from me. I was told by them not to file a stolen car report let them see what they could find out. However, days went by, and I decided to submit a stolen car report. We then find out they had not assigned the case to the detective that came to my house. The fact had not been assign to any detective. Then it was finally given to a detective in weeks later, and then again a different detective came to my house. The first detective that came to my house told me not to call his car stolen. However, they kept saying to me when I call they had heard nothing. My daughter lives in Charlotte NC, and she drove here after work every Friday evening, and we looked for him every weekend. I searched every day. We went everywhere putting up flyers, all over DC and Maryland. We met a person that was a missing exploited children activist, and he started to communicate with us. We were going to searches, knocking on doors in the neighborhood his car that I found. One day I called the detectives to asked them had they heard anything, he said he got a call tip Marty car was somewhere in Bowie Maryland. I went there the address was not a proper address. I kept searching during the week and my family I searched on the weekends. We drove all nights and days. I called the detective and asked have you heard anything, he told me the car pinged twice and told me the area it has pinged. That was how I found his car. The police did not respond either time to the pinged. I drove the city he said, me it pings, and I saw the car. I called them to come, to check to make sure it was his car and it was. I knew it was his car had the temp tags still on it. People were sitting out front where the car was parked, and I was afraid to get out of my car to check. Was told to stay in the car and wait until they got there. It took them at least 40 minutes, or so I had to wait. I called them to let them know I think I found his car. They took fingerprints, and I had the car towed to my house. I cover it and make sure it stayed intact. I did not want to move anything I felt it was more they should check. I kept asking them to come and check more may be able to find something more from the car. It took them a month to his car and checked it out more. Time went on my daughter decided to call the captain at the police department and talk with her about how she did not feel she was getting the best action taken done by them. The captain did and found out that the detective was not doing anything for this case he should have been doing. She apologized and assigned a different detective to the situation. She reprimanded him for his negligence actions. However, this is now two months later. The new detective came and asked me questions and agreed everything handled wrong. He would be taking the case, and we started over again. My daughter did all the footwork and all the research to find out the person name he had communicated with last, the real girl name he met on PlentlyOfFish dating site; I found his car. We gave him all of the evidence we found out gave them the case. He did make the vehicle and retook fingerprints but the finger came back smeared and had to do DNA, and we had to wait for another for this. The DNA came back, but nothing has updated or done to date everything fell through the cracks, and we still don't have anything, and he has been gone and presume deceased and can find his remains. First of all, if they had done what they needed to do in the beginning, we might be able to find him. If they had gone after the car, they might be able to get people that were driving his car to talk. We gave them the evidence, and they let it sat before they took action. Should have evaluated his case in the beginning and involved the FBI could have utilized better resources. They did not apply the rules to Marty case from the beginning when I to them my grandson would not just walk away from his life and family. Someone should be held accountable, and Marty case should be with the FBI, he met a girl on PlentyofFish a dating site that causes him his life. It now seems the case has run cold and we may never know who killed my grandson. This issue should be an investigated, and rules should have been applied to the person such as Marty William McMillan Jr. case and might not save his life but at least get the killers off the street and stop dating site from being used for criminal activity. Marty was set up and murdered by meeting someone on PlentyofFish, and the FBI was not brought into the case and should have been from the start.

Trump has nominated Rep. Tom Marino as head of the DEA. Rep. Marino was the chief advocate in Congress of legislation that now prevents DEA from going after drug distributors killing thousands in overdoses. We need to stop the flow of opiated pills to bad doctors and pharmacists.

Reginald Johnson's son was shot and killed. Memphis police never properly investigated the crime. Later, when a man showed up at Reginald's door bleeding from a gunshot wound, he called the police. They entered Reginald's home, beat him, and arrested him. Now, Reginald has found out that his address has been added to a so-called "hazard list" in retaliation for his speaking out against police misconduct. Mayor Jim Strickland, Director of Police Services Michael Rallings, and other City of Memphis officials have told him that they are working on removing him from the list. It has been over a year, and still he has no resolution. Mayor Jim Strickland has denied the existence of the list, but admitted to the existence of "flagged addresses." We do not intend to argue semantics. Right now, if Reginald calls the police when he witnesses a crime, they show up in force to harass and intimidate him. The police should be protectors, not bullies. Reginald Johnson is not a hazard. Sign to end police retaliation.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is pressuring his allies in congress to let the Rohrabacher‐Farr amendment expire. This amendment prevents Sessions from prosecuting the medical marijuana industry. If it expires, then Mr. Sessions will have money available to order his Justice Department to conduct federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries. You have the power to keep that money out of Mr. Session's hands! Let congress know that you want the amendment kept alive! All you have to do is sign this petition.

It is time to stop the war on drugs! More and more minorities are being thrown into jail for possession of small amounts of marijuana and the government is acting unjustly. Funds are being exerted on lesser crimes when we have bigger issues at hand in this country. Pass the Marijuana Justice Act.

The State Police Director in Michigan, Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, should be fired. Early this week, she posted an image on Facebook calling athletes who kneeled in protest of police brutality "anti-American degenerates." We are in the midst of a historic moment where NFL players, celebrities, and decisionmakers with the platform powerful enough to shift the entire country are all speaking out against police brutality. And she's absolutely on the wrong side of history. As soon as news broke about the post, people started calling for Etue's resignation. She immediately apologized and said posting the comment was a "mistake." But her apology means absolutely nothing. She already revealed the truth about where she stands--and we need to believe her. Michigan State police director Etue's words are not just a meme on Facebook. They incite hate, violence, and are a representation of her practices. She represents the type of leadership that we cannot let continue to exist in this country. She's failed to hold police who kill Black people accountable--and she even awarded the officer who killed 15-yr old Damon Grimes a "Lifesaving Award." On top of that, her department is severely suffering from a lack diversity. The people of Michigan need leaders who will champion a change in the status quo, not those who spout Trump's white supremacist talking points. Gov. Rick Snyder has said that her apology was enough--but it's clearly not. We need him to do the right thing and fire Etue. And we need a lot more people to stand up in order to push him to make the right choice. Sign the petition?

I am the mother of a teenage boy who's Gay and was taunted and tortured even raped in the school system . We begged for help and never received it. My son was suicidal and depressed for many years and started to become violent because he had no choice , his defense mechanism was all he had . Being a teen is hard enough but when you're a Gay teen teenagers can be very cruel. Please give this young man a second chance at life .

We are calling on you to remove the statue of Christopher Columbus, who committed genocide against indigenous people. He enslaved, raped, and killed them without mercy. There should be a standard of behavior behind the people we choose to celebrate. We shouldn’t idolize someone who enslaved, raped, and killed indigenous people. Leaving the Columbus statue up makes it seem like the things he did were okay. It’s a sign of hate that shouldn’t be on public display. We understand that, to some, Columbus represents also Italian heritage, but Italian Americans don’t have to rely on Christopher Columbus’s legacy in order to be proud of their heritage. The statue should be taken down because NYC is a very diverse place, with all types of people, including Native Americans who feel hurt or intimidated by the display of this statue.

The WFP Platform endorses legalizing marijuana and solicits voters and donations on this platform. The Working Families Party official website states, "Marijuana arrests unfairly hold back prospective job applicants and unjustly target communities of color across the district." WFP Hudson Valley coordinator Phillip Leber refused to interview candidates seeking an endorsement that was against marijuana arrests and instead awarded the endorsement to Daniel Torres and Neil Bettez of New Paltz. Both have directed New Paltz Police Department to aggressively pursue marijuana arrests, accounting for 36% of all arrests. Their WFP endorsement was prominently featured in their political advertising and led to their winning a major party platform. They both refuse to address or reform marijuana or other drug arrests, while their opposition ran with criminal justice reform as their main goal.

This is at least the third time this bill has been introduced in Congress since 2014. Other bills with similar intent have likewise been introduced, but all have died a slow death languishing in one committee or another. I have friends, family, and acquaintances who have been impacted by criminal convictions. Witnessing their experience has convinced me of the ineffectiveness of our current system, that punishes someone for a misdeed long after they have served their sentence. The current system that does not allow for expungement of the majority of federal felony convictions does not contribute to rehabilitation and the proper function of our society; and does contribute to recidivism and the downfall of the very societal norms that criminal sentences are intended to reinforce. This must be changed and we must be the ones to change it.